The Greens' Terry Reintke has sounded her statement arsenic nan antidote to "right-wing, authoritarian" forces that are trying to h2o down ambiance action arsenic she campaigns up of June's European elections.
In an question and reply pinch Euronews connected Thursday, nan 36-year-old German - 1 of 2 lead candidates fielded by nan European Greens for June's ballot - outlined her imagination for upholding nan embattled European Green Deal, nan EU’s scheme to go nan first climate-neutral continent.
In caller months, Reintke's Greens statement has led disapproval of nan centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) - group to apical nan canvass successful June and stay nan parliament’s biggest faction - for what they picture arsenic attempts to h2o down nan Green Deal successful consequence to a activity of demonstrations among farmers.
Farmers' protests led nan European Commission of President Ursula von der Leyen to gradually statement backmost connected immoderate of its biology commitments pinch concessions, including loosening greenish requirements for accessing subsidies arsenic portion of sweeping moves to reduce nan administrative burden connected farmers.
Reintke's solutions see "reshuffling" nan bloc's farming subsidies to allocate costs according to ecological and societal indicators alternatively than nan size of farms.
"Big agro-businesses fundamentally get nan biggest chunk of nan cultivation subsidies. And we would for illustration to move that around, for example, by having a conditionality erstwhile it comes to ecological and societal standards," Reinke explained, adding that nan Greens besides supported a headdress connected maximum subsidies to guarantee a fairer distribution to smaller family farms successful Europe.
Reintke besides hailed nan Green Deal arsenic a "part of nan puzzle of making Europe a much unafraid continent," and arsenic nan only measurement of restoring nan continent's competitory business edge.
"I ever opportunity that nan Green Deal and nan mobility of information successful Europe are 2 sides of nan aforesaid coin," Reintke explained, referring to really Europe had made itself "vulnerable" done its reliance connected Russian fossil substance imports successful nan years anterior to nan Kremlin's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.
"So nan Green Deal, having power coming from upwind and solar, having a sustainable, information system (...) having power sources that are not limited connected autocrats, is portion of a information strategy that Europe very direly needs, because we spot that nan world is becoming a much insecure place."
She added that nan Green Deal was nan only viable European strategy, to guarantee nan bloc tin compete pinch world powers specified arsenic China and nan US successful processing and deploying cleanable energies specified arsenic greenish hydrogen and artillery technologies.
"Having a monolithic finance programme from nan European level that incentivises personnel states to spell down that roadworthy (of cleanable technologies) (...) is crucial," Reintke said, presenting nan Green Deal arsenic nan only measurement for Europe to compete pinch nan heavy subsidised industries of China and nan US.
In nan US, nan Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) - nan Biden administration's charismatic greenish subsidy scheme that offers generous taxation breaks and rebates for greenish exertion made successful America - prompted fears of an business exodus retired of Europe and saw nan EU scramble to present counter-proposals specified arsenic nan Net Zero Industry Act and nan Critical Raw Materials Act.
The bloc has besides precocious launched probes into Chinese authorities subsidies into electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines amid fears nan EU manufacture is flooded by inexpensive imports.
The antidote to a right-wing 'backlash'
Reintke besides said that a ballot for nan Greens was nan champion measurement of "defending democracy" against right-wing "backlashes against democracy, norm of rule and state successful Europe."
"Citizens person nan prime whether they want to person a much right-wing mostly successful nan European Parliament, perchance having authoritarian, far-right forces influencing nan programme of nan European Commission (...) aliases (...) whether they want to person progressive, forward-looking, future-oriented policies," she added.
While acknowledging nan successes of Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, presently campaigning for re-election, she besides took a jab astatine her for losing "traction" during her mandate.
"I would dishonesty if I would opportunity that she (von der Leyen) didn't push guardant very affirmative things successful these 5 years, but at the aforesaid time, we could spot that particularly towards nan extremity of nan legislature, she really mislaid traction," she said, referring to her party's onslaught against nan Green Deal and attempts to bring down nan Nature Restoration law, a measure designed to restore astatine slightest 20% of nan European Union's onshore and oversea areas by 2030.
Von der Leyen is nevertheless pledging to proceed to take sides nan Green Deal arsenic a "clean maturation model" successful her campaign.
Asked astir nan EU's consequence to nan conflict gripping successful nan Middle East, and whether nan bloc should see sanctions connected Israel for its consequence successful Gaza to Hamas' October 7 attacks, Reintke said: "I deliberation that we should put unit connected Israel."
She besides based on nan bloc could usage its waste and acquisition deal, nan EU-Israel Association Agreement, to exert unit connected Tel Aviv, a connection first tabled by Ireland and Spain, considered among nan bloc's fiercest critics of Netanyahu's warfare successful Gaza.
"We should, for example, usage nan Association Agreement that we person to say, look, what is happening correct now is not good, besides not for nan information of Israel and Israeli citizens," Reintke said.
This question and reply is portion of an ongoing bid pinch each nan Spitzenkandidaten. The afloat question and reply pinch Terry Reintke will aerial connected Euronews connected May 10.
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